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Dogwood's Writing Guides/Sues and Cliches
OKAY! FIRST THING TO START OFF WITH IS STARTING OFF YOUR STORY Starting Your Story #1 Thing to Avoid: Kitting and some special prophecy. Now I know, I know, kitting can be okay but ANYTHING where you hear a prophecy or "this cat will be special" is a BIG. FAT. NO-NO! Why? Sues. Sues, Sues, Sues, Sues, Stus. And cliches. Being born with a destiny has been sooo overused, it really cripples your story. Oftentimes it makes your reader walk away from it or start off with a bad taste in their mouths. #2 Thing to Avoid: Getting nine lives. A) it makes for a really, really boring read. It's even less eye-catching than that born-with-a-destiny cat. You want to hook your reader. Did your elementary teacher ever teach you that? If not, your hook is the beginning that makes your reader want to keep reading. Who wants to read about "With this life I give you blah blah blah". Make your story unique and something special, and you've got the instructions for instant readers! *Dogwood eats a cup of instant noodles as she types* Names, Personality, and All that Jazz Drill Sergeant Dogwood: AY! YOU THERE! WHAT'RE YOU TYPING? Reader: Um, a fanfic about Silversky, sir. Dogwood: DO YOU HAVE NO BRAINS? I AIN'T NO SIR! DROP DOWN AND GIVE ME TWENTY! Reader: Uh, yes ma'am. Dogwood: I WON'T HAVE ANY "UH"S FROM YOU. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? Reader: Yes ma'am. *Reader is done doing twenty push-ups* Dogwood: TELL ME WHO YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT AGAIN? Reader: Silversky, ma'am. Dogwood: YOU IDIOT! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT NAMES? Reader: No name calling...? Dogwood: NO! I SAID NO SUE NAMES! DROP AND GIVE ME EIGHTY! Reader: But- Dogwood: NINETY! ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ As you can see, Silversky is a red flag for a Sue. Avoid matching pretty words with pretty words. Example prefixes: Star, Silver, Hope, Dawn, Bright, Blossom. Sure, you can match these prefixes with names that don't sound Sue, but if you're just starting out and don't fully understand the whole naming business, just stay away from those prefixes. However, this doesn't go for ALL characters- just main characters. When you give the main character a perfect name, it signals a perfect character- AKA a Sue (female) or a Stu (male). Why don't we like Sues and Stus? Because they're boring. They're flat and 2D. You want to make a complex, diverse, 3D character. Think about you. What's your personality? What's your strengths? Your weaknesses? Are you unpredictable? Certainly there are parts about you that others might not see as perfect. They might even be considered flaws. This is how your character should be. Reader: But Dogwood, we're writing about talking cats who wage wars on each other and- Dogwood: DROP AND GIVE ME FIVE HUNDRED! This rule about personalities should be applied to all stories, whether you're writing about a talking cat or not. To a certain degree, the character must be relatable. The reader will, even at an unconscious level, a connection to the character. Sure, we're writing fiction, but don't you like people who are like you? The same goes for a story. I know that some people in this world live by the rules to a happier life, and they do their best to be as Sue as they can for one reason- it makes life easier. But I've met one of them. And he points out one thing. We're all human. We have human reactions to things. And even the "enlightened" have flaws. For example, George Na'ope, believe it or not, was an alcoholic. Why am I bringing this up? Because stories are worlds modeled after ours. Yes, we write about talking cats, aliens fighting monsters, bears on a quest to save the wild, owls being mind-controlled slaves because of metal flecks, and humans with the ability to create illusions so real they can kill someone. Kudos to whoever can name which books, book series, and movie I'm referencing. Anyways, about 99% of the world won't be able to relate to a story about a person who is beat down yet manages to put their head up immediately afterwards. To avoid Sue-ness, give your character a realistic amount of time to "put their head back up." And inspire the character, because it's very rare that someone finds inspiration out of the blue that makes them happier. tbc bc Dogwood's computer is glitching Reader: Okay, Dogwood, I think I get it now. Silversky was bullied because she was way too nice to everyone- Dogwood: HEY! THAT ISN'T A REAL FLAW! DROP AND GIVE ME A THOUSAND! Reader: *does a half a push-up* BUT THOSE FIVE HUNDRED BUUUUUUURRRRRRN tbc bc Dogwood's computer is glitching